HSSB436: Snow Crane Message
“Early outer aura Martial Scholar? That youth not even into his teens!”
Hearing Chang En’s words, the other Snow Crane Sect martial practitioners all let out a breath of cold air.
Unlike others of the Floating Life World, the Snow Crane Sect martial practitioners knew full well what the early outer aura Martial Scholar realm entailed.
The fourth level of the Martial Scholar realm, the early outer aura stage. This was the ultimate goal of most qi cultivation martial practitioners of the Floating Life World.
However, there were few who could achieve it.
Yet, Ying Longtu who was just around ten years of age was already an early outer aura Martial Scholar. How would they not feel dizzy and dazed at this?
Even Chang En himself was greatly shocked after having discovered this, only having managed to stabilise his mind after some time had passed.
In comparison to Yan Zhaoge’s identity, it was this discovery which left Chang En more shocked.
And very quickly, through Ying Longtu’s cultivation base, he also came to think about the strength possessed by Yan Zhaoge, Xu Fei and the others. With that, cold sweat trickled down his back.
Having earlier heard about Yan Zhaoge’s group causing great chaos in Kanghe City, Chang En and the other Snow Crane Sect martial practitioners had not paid much attention to it.
After all, the Furan Kingdom was but one out of thirty-six kingdoms under the Blood Cloud Clan. Let alone mighty existences like the Blood Cloud Clan and Green Dragon Mountain, even the Snow Crane Sect itself was already much more powerful than it.
However, after having met, Chang En now felt deeply that Yan Zhaoge and the others must not have felt anything about the Furan Kingdom at all. Otherwise, the Furan Kingdom would long since have been decimated.
The Snow Crane Sect martial practitioners beside him were unable to recover for a long time as one of them slowly asked, “Eldest apprentice-brother, I…I’m not doubting you, but this really is much too unbelievable.”
“Could you have seen wrongly?”
Chang En sighed. He did not doubt his junior apprentice-brother, for even he himself had initially felt that he had made a mistake, only having dared to be sure after verifying it several times.
“I can’t blame you for not being able to hear it, because most of your cultivation bases aren’t sufficient.”
Chang En said slowly, “The flow of that youth’s blood is slight and virtually inaudible, but it is not weak at all, instead being dense yet smooth.”
“Do you still remember? This is the phenomenon of blood flowing like mercury that Master once spoke of. It is a characteristic one only possesses after having undergone the second washing of the bone marrows as early outer aura Martial Scholar experts!”
As Chang En spoke, the remaining Snow Crane Sect martial practitioners with comparatively higher cultivation bases all bowed in unison towards Yan Zhaoge and the others.
Seeing this, the rest of them doubted it no longer as they all bowed as well, “Unlearned and ignorant, we greet Young Master Yan.”
Some vaguely had a sort of feeling in their hearts.
If that expert whom their Chief Su Yun had always respected like a divinity, the ancestral founder of the Snow Crane Sect, had a descendant, it was only logical that he would possess such an imposing manner as well as strength…
Yan Zhaoge smiled to them, nodding slightly in appreciation. Still, he quickly retracted his focus, looking at Su Yun once more.
“Aunt Yun, did my mother return to this Floating Life World around twenty years ago? Did you see her then?”
Su Yun ushered him, “This way, Young Master. Please come to my Snow Crane Sect as a guest. We can talk on the way.”
Yan Zhaoge nodded. He told Feng Yunsheng, Xu Fei and the others what was going on, all of them introducing themselves to Su Yun as they all got to know each other. Then, they began their journey.
Already having found Yan Zhaoge’s group, the Snow Crane Sect martial practitioners had no further reason to remain in the outskirts of the snowy mountains as they returned to their sect as well.
On the way over, Su Yun sighed as she said, “While Lady never mentioned it before, I can basically guess that she is not someone who grew up in our Floating Life World, instead having come from beyond the heavens.”
“It was all thanks to Lady that I did not freeze to death by the roadside. She even took me in to remain by her side, teaching me supreme martial arts as well.”
“As Young Master says, Lady never treated me like a maid. It was me who wanted to serve her; otherwise, I really wouldn’t know how I could have repaid my debt of gratitude to her.”
Su Yun looked a little forlorn, “Still, Lady wasn’t someone of this world. At the end of the day, she still ultimately had to leave. Thirty years ago, Lady still left. I don’t know where she went. I wanted to ask, yet dared not to.”
“Lady knew what I was thinking, but just smiled as we spoke. While she had considered bringing me along with her, she was also scared that she might bring me into danger as a result. Remaining in the Floating Life World, it would instead be safer and happier for me.”
“I believe that Lady wouldn’t lie to me. Therefore, I listened to her and stayed behind, just praying for her safety every night.”
At this point, Yan Zhaoge’s eyes narrowed slightly into slits, “Meeting some danger…?”
His mind spun, but he did not utter a sound as he continued listening to Su Yun’s words.
She was saying, “Young Master asks me whether Lady returned once more after she had left. I cannot say this for sure, because I have not seen her ever since thirty years ago when she left. Still, I feel that Lady did return.”
Yan Zhaoge raised his brows lightly, “Was it twenty years ago?”
Su Yun said, “I cannot confirm the specifics of it. It was sixteen years ago that I made a trip to the southern regions. There, in a primordial forest, I found some things which seemed to have been left behind by Lady.”
Yan Zhaoge’s spirits rose.
Beside them, having spent all this time in the Floating Life World, while Xu Fei, Feng Yunsheng and the others were still not proficient in their language, they were already basically able to understand a portion of it.
Hearing these words, they all involuntarily exchanged looks, thinking about that stone carving which had been half excavated away.
Indeed, Su Yun said, “It was on a cliff, a stone carving which had been left behind.”
“Because I had once gone there more than twenty years ago, I knew that this stone carving had not been there thirty years ago when Lady left. Therefore, I guessed that Lady must once have returned to this Floating Life World.”
“The meaning of the stone carving was hard to decipher, seemingly possessing infinite profundities, and I was unable to see through it. Now that I think about it, perhaps it was left behind by Lady for Lord and Young Master. Momentarily blinded, I excavated it and brought it away, holding up Young Master’s matters. Please do not blame me for that, Young Master.”
Yan Zhaoge shook his head, “While I had to come quite a long way, it was also because you missed my mother too much, not having known about this beforehand as well. How could I blame you?”
“Rather than that, is this stone carving still with Aunt Yun now?”
Su Yun replied, “It is worshipped in my Snow Crane Sect’s ancestral hall. When Young Master arrives at the sect with me, you will immediately be able to see it.”
They traversed the Jade Ridge Snowy Mountains, finally arriving at the main peak of this mountain range.
Here was established the headquarters of the Snow Crane Sect.
The sect was not large in scale. After all, qi cultivation wasn’t mainstream in the Floating Life World, and those like Su Yun who were able to go against the currents were few and far between.
“This is my husband, Shen Nuo,” Arriving at the door, Su Yun introduced a middle-aged man with a tough, resolute expression to Yan Zhaoge and the others.
This Shen Nuo, a demonic blood cultivator, bowed neither subserviently nor overbearingly upon seeing Yan Zhaoge, “Young Master Yan.”
Yan Zhaoge nodded, “Mister Shen.”
Su Yun said, “I’m bringing Young Master into the ancestral hall to look at the things Lady left behind. If people arrive from the outside world, please help me to entertain them for a while.”
Possessing a mature, competent personality, Shen Nuo nodded, “You can rest easy on this.”
“Young Master, please follow me,” Su Yun brought Yan Zhaoge and the others along in entering the ancestral hall of the Snow Crane Sect.
Raising his head and gazing over, what entered Yan Zhaoge’s sight was a carved statue of ice, a snow crane engraved on it that looked set to raise its wings and soar high into the skies.
HSSB437: World beyond worlds, wounds of the heavens
Yan Zhaoge looked at that snow crane carved of ice, elegant and lifelike.
Beneath the ice carving of the snow crane was placed a bracelet. The bracelet also had a snow crane inscribed on it as it appeared to be from the same set of accessories as that snow crane hairpin.
Su Yan said, “This might be unbecoming, but this was left behind by Lady that year, and I have left it here to constantly serve as a memento of her. If Young Master wants to take it away…”
Yan Zhaoge laughed, “How would I think that? This was left behind by mother for you, Aunt Yun. Also, Aunt Yun, just call me Zhaoge.”
Su Yun smiled as she raised her hand lightly, that snow crane ice carving releasing bountiful bright light before rising up into the air.
Countless spirit patterns intermingled amidst the light, forming a small scale formation which slowly broke the space apart as a small scale foreign dimension now appeared.
Yan Zhaoge knew that this must be a forbidden or sacred ground of the Snow Crane Sect.
Accompanying Su Yun in entering the foreign dimension, a massive rock very quickly appeared.
Yan Zhaoge focused his gaze on the rock, seeing a great amount of strange looking characters on it.
“Hmmm…they’re something similar to a secret code,” Thoughts flashed through Yan Zhaoge’s mind at lightning speed as he remembered several things that his father Yan Di had mentioned to him back before he had departed from Broad Creed Mountain.
While many of these things might not actually be of use, Yan Di did not know what kind of situation his son might encounter. Thus, he had prepared him as best he could so as to be able to cope with whatever situation might arise, telling him everything that might be of use to him.
Yan Zhaoge pondered for a moment before extending his palm, infusing his true essence within that rock.
The strange characters on the rock began rapidly turning illusory.
Yan Zhaoge extended his other hand, writing something in mid-air. Numerous words of light seemed to be engraved onto the surface of the rock as well, merging together with its original occupants.
Su Yun looked rather astoundedly at this scene.
After a while, Yan Zhaoge ceased in his movements. However, the words of light intermingled and changed before finally falling silent.
Meanwhile, the message left behind on the surface of the rock had already completely changed form.
Seeing those lines of words, Yan Zhaoge slowly nodded, “While there are a few differences, these are extremely similar to the characters of before the Great Calamity, being even more complicated and ancient as well as clear in the roots of its legacy than the commonly used characters of our Eight Extremities World and this Floating Life World.”
Yan Zhaoge smiled. Amongst his few memories of her, his mother had been extremely willing to research ancient texts as well as ancient characters.
His interest and passion in ancient texts and characters had originated from the influence of his mother Xue Chuqing amidst his younger years.
Perhaps these characters and their corresponding language that were extremely close to that used before the Great Calamity were what Xue Chuqing had been used to before she had come to the Floating Life World and the Eight Extremities World.
Yan Zhaoge referred to what he had learnt before whilst carefully deciphering the words that were left behind on the stone carving.
“What is there that cannot be said outright, having to go through so many twists and turns instead? If it indeed isn’t suitable for the occasion, if it isn’t convenient to reveal, there wouldn’t be a need to leave a message behind, right?”
Yan Zhaoge pondered as he deciphered those characters. The more he saw, the stranger his expression became.
“To head up to the world beyond worlds, there are a total of two methods…”
“The most basic method is to reach the fourth level of the Martial Saint realm, surpassing the bearable limits of the great thousand worlds…”
“Otherwise, learning from me, there is a treasure that can protect your body as it stabilises the rift between worlds. Afterwards, search for the wounds of the heavens…”
The corners of Yan Zhaoge’s mouth twitched unceasingly, “This tone-why does it sound so much like a reminder to bring an umbrella out with us on a rainy day?”
“Also, there is this feeling that she didn’t see it as a very important thing. Rather, she suddenly remembered having forgotten to say it and casually left behind some words as a result. What is the meaning of that?”
Yan Zhaoge sighed, “Father ah, exactly what kind of wife did you find that year?”
“Still…” Yan Zhaoge’s gaze turned solemn, “World beyond worlds…wounds of the heavens…what exactly has the Great Calamity changed our original world into?”
Yan Zhaoge stroked his lower chin and pondered as a hint of a smile was gradually revealed by the corners of his lips, “Now this is getting more and more interesting.”
After thinking for a time, Yan Zhaoge ceased in his thoughts.
He already knew the gist of the message engraved on the rock. Still, Yan Zhaoge did not retract his palm, instead continuing to infuse more of his true essence within.
After a short while, a change suddenly occurred in the rock. Having originally been tough and firm, it suddenly became like soft mud.
A portion of rock concaved inwards, forming a circular indentation within.
Yan Zhaoge observed its size. Then, he took out that circular half mirror that he had obtained upon just having arrived in the Floating Life World.
When they had come, they had been drawn over by the mechanism that had been left behind by his mother Xue Chuqing previously. This circular half mirror formed the core of that mechanism.
After activating the mechanism, this circular half mirror had temporarily lost its power. Yan Zhaoge had always been keeping it by his side, hoping to find clues as to the other half of the mirror.
At this moment, this half mirror was precisely embedded within the circular indentation as it took up a half of the space within.
As Yan Zhaoge looked within, the other half of empty space was actually filled by water that now gradually appeared out of nowhere.
Countless scenes seemed to flicker on the surface of the water. Still, it was not stable enough, the images blurry as it was hard to clearly see what they depicted.
Yan Zhaoge crossed his arms before his chest, “It looks like we will still have to wait for some time.”
As she stood quietly by the side, a warm smile appeared by Su Yun’s lips as she watched Yan Zhaoge. On him, it was as if she could see the Xue Chuqing whom she had served and followed that year.
Yan Zhaoge swivelled his head over, “Aunt Yun, it looks like we’ll still have to trouble you for some days more.”
Su Yun smiled, “Young Master, you can stay for as long as you want.”
Yan Zhaoge asked, “Right, Aunt Yun, are Grand Spirit Stones very common in the Floating Life World?”
Su Yun answered, “They cannot be considered common, but their rate of production is not bad.”
Yan Zhaoge pondered as he asked, “Where can they be found?”
Su Yun replied, “The quarries are rather scattered. There are no especially large ones, all being small or medium size ones that are scattered amongst many places.”
Yan Zhaoge nodded slowly.
Now, a voice suddenly resounded from outside, “Mother.”
“It’s my daughter, Shen Rong,” Su Yun first explained to Yan Zhaoge, who smiled and nodded, “I’ll exit with you. Please do not let anyone else in within the short term, Aunt Yun.”
Su Yun replied, “This is only natural.”
Leaving the half mirror there with the water accumulating within the rock on its own, Yan Zhaoge and Su Yun exited the foreign dimension together, returning to the ancestral hall of the Snow Crane Sect.
A woman in her twenties who looked extremely similar to Su Yun awaited there.
Seeing Yan Zhaoge, while she appeared rather curious, Shen Rong still first bowed, “Shen Rong greets…Young Master.”
Hearing her term of address, it was clear that she had already received an explanation from her father, Shen Nuo. Also, even though she had already married into Green Dragon Mountain, Su Yun’s position in her heart was one of great authority. At the very least, she did not dare to make any slights whatsoever before her.
Yan Zhaoge smiled slightly, greeting her back, “No need to be so polite. I am slightly older than you; you can just call me Brother.”
Su Yun asked, “Rong’er, is it something from Green Dragon Mountain?”
Shen Rong nodded, “Yes. Father-in-law and the others have already received news of the arrival of Brother Yan’s group. Father-in-law sent me and Husband over to send a message, inviting you and Brother Yan over to Green Dragon Mountain.”